886 
Book I. 
An hiflorical Account 
sx nor in Amboyna upbraided him of his cruel Intention, 
« and afked if this ftiould have been the Recompence of 
« the manifold Honours and Kindneffes he had done f to 
•« him '? Whereunto Towerfon anfwered with a deep 
« Sio-h, Oh ! if it were to be begun it fhould not be 
44 done. » 
46 This voluntary Confeffion and penitent Acknow- 
«•« ledgment, with much Sorrow, was made the Ninth of 
«« March , being the Day when the Execution fhould 
44 have been done *, but the Examination of Towerfon 
44 was ended the Eighteenth of February , fo many Days 
44 before. This is the Subftance of the Confefiion of 
44 the ten Japonefe , of fourteen Englifh, and of a Ne- 
« therlandifh Merinho, or Captain of the Slaves, who 
44 all confirmed thefe their Confefiions with their own 
44 Hands. What Crime this intended Prodition was, is 
44 hence very many manifeft, and undoubted; what Pu- 
44 nifhment is due to Treachery, according to the Law 
44 and Cufcoms of all Nations, is alfo well known ; no 
44 true Chriftian Man will patronage any fuch horrible 
44 Attempt, but will adjudge it worthy of Death, as it 
54 was determined upon the Accomplices of the Confpi- 
44 racy, according to the Order of Juftice, as there in 
44 Amboyna is exercifed, according to Defcrt, by the Go- 
* 4 verno-r and Council, in the Name of the High and 
44 Mighty Lords the States. Here you have, Sir, the 
64 very Subftance of the Truth, both of the Fad; and 
64 Punifhment, other than which many Things are 
44 fpread abroad in England , but upon what Pretence or 
44 Intendment I know not ; let the Matter itfelf fpeak 
64 for itfelf. 
44 The firft Point which is objected againft this Juf- 
44 tice done in Amboyna is, concerning the Proceedings 
44 which are faid to be holden without Formality, and 
44 with Extremity, againft thefe Confpirators : Your 
44 Worfhip, and each reafonable Man, knoweth- that 
44 every Land hath their Laws, and Ordinances, and 
44 their particular Manner of Proceedings, as well in 
44 Civil, as in Criminal Caufes ; England hers, France , 
44 Spain , Dutchland , and all other Kingdoms and Go- 
44 vernments have alfo theirs, which are juft and lawful 
44 to every one in their Dominion ; fo that when any one 
44 will judge of the Equity or Juftice of a Proceeding 
44 ufed in any Land, he muft examine the fame accord- 
44 ing to the Laws and Cuftoms of that Kingdom, or Do- 
44 minion, where the Juftice ana Proceedings were hol- 
44 den. Thefe Proceedings were holden before the Go» 
44 vernor of the Netherlands , in the Name of the Illu- 
44 ftrious Lords the Slates, having fupreme Power, many 
44 Years firice, in the Ifles of Amboyna, which were con- 
44 quered in the Name of the faid Illuftrious Lords the 
44 States, from the Spaniards or Poriugueze , who held 
44 the Caftle in the Name of the King of Spain , our he- 
44 reditary Enemy ; therefore they are now poffefted in 
44 the Name of the Lords the States, and are under 
44 their Dominion, by a juft and lawful Title of War, 
44 according to the Law of Nations. Thefe Juftices 
44 adminiftered according to the Law of the Netherlands , 
44 in that Manner as was ufed in the Proceedings againft 
44 thofe Confpirators. I know that the Laws of Eng- 
44 land are diverfe from ours in criminal Cafes ; yea, and 
64 from all the Nations in Europe. 
44 Howbeit therefore no Man hath any Ground of 
44 Reafon to fay that the Proceedings of th t Englifh 
84 Judges againft Delinquents are not legitimate, tho* 
44 the faid Englijh Proceedings do vary in the Manner 
44 from the Proceedings of France , Spain , &c. where 
46 other Cuftoms are ; for that is lawful which agreeth 
84 with the Laws of the Land where the Fad is com- 
44 mitted. Now then, the Japonefe Soldiers being in 
44 the Service of the Netherlands Company in Amboyna , 
44 are difcovered to have confpired againft the Caftle and 
44 the Governor there, under whofe Oath and Pay they 
44 were ; they were apprehended, examined, and con- 
44 vided of the faid Confpiracy. This Proceeding is 
44 lawful, and toucheth no Man, becaufe the faid Japo- 
44 nefe knew no other Matter than the Netherlander s, uii- 
44 der whofe Oath, Service and Pay they Hand. All 
thefe Confpirators, with the faid Marinho , a Captain 
of the Intercourfe 
44 of the Netherlands Slaves, con felled with one Mouth* 
44 that they were moved and induced to this Confpiracy 
44 by the Englijh Merchants refident in Amboyna , whofe 
44 Names they named. Now, not only the Right of the 
44 Netherlands , but England, and of the whole World, re- 
44 quireth that the Authors, Abettors, and Accomplices 
44 of Murder and Treafon, fhould be punilhed with, 
44 Death. 
44 Whereunto, according to the Common Law, as alfo 
44 the particular Laws of every Kingdom or Dominion, 
44 the fufpeded Perfons firft, and before all, fhould be 
44 imprifoned, not only for preventing the Effedt of 
44 their evil Purpofes, but that they might alfo receive 
44 their deferved Punifhment ; which Apprchenfions 
44 could not be done of any other Man than by the Com- 
44 mand of the Netherlands Governor, to whom it fae- 
44 longed to take Care to fee every A£t concerning fu- 
44 preme Power to be there obferved ; and efpecialJy the 
44 higheft Englifh Officer there could not apprehend' thefe 
44 Englijh Confpirators, becaufe all the chief of the En- 
44 glifh Merchants at Amboyna , were themfelves of the 
44 Confpiracy, and Accomplices of the Fadt upon 
44 which the Apprehenfion was made ; therefore the 
44 Apprehenfion of the Englifh Accomplices muft. be 
44 done by the Butch Governor, who therefore hath 
44 therein proceeded according to the Cuftom of all Na- 
44 tions of the World. 
44 And that thefe Apprchenfions may be holden 
44 more lawful, it appearing out of the written Procefs, 
44 that the faid Englifh Accomplices were not imprifoned 
44 upon the firft Sufpicions and grofs Evidences wh ch w re 
44 had againft them, but then , at- laft, when all the Japonefe ' 
“ Soldiers were taken, examined, and convicted, and h d 
44 difcovered, by the uniform Confefiion of all the eleven. 
44 The Names, and Surnames of fuch Englijh as had 
44 perfuaded, and hired them to' this Fadt, of which En- 
44 glifh , viz. out Abel Price, Barber, was before app re - 
44 hended as an Incendiary, for burning, and Other Vio- 
44 lences done upon other Houles, who alfo was firft 
44 examined, and firft confeffed ; as the other eleven 
44 Japonefe. That he, by Nam t Gabriel Towerfon, 
44 and other Englifo Merchants, in the foreign Coun- 
44 tries of Amboyna, had Knowledge of this Confpiracy, 
44 £gV. fo that it may be feen out of that which went be- 
44 fore, that the Butch Governor dealt no other wife in 
44 the Apprchenfions and Examinations- of the Englifh 
44 than according to his Place and Power, and that with 
44 great Difcretion, according to the Laws of the 
44 United Provinces. The fecond Point, which is ab- 
44 folutely difperfed in England againft this Execution is, 
44 that it is faid, that it did not appertain to the Nether- 
44 lands in Amboyna , to imprifon the faid Englijh , and to 
44 proceed againft them, or to punifh them ; but that it 
44 did belong to the Council of Defence, refident at Jac- 
44 catra, confifting half of Englifo and half of Netherlan- 
44 Hers, according to the Treaty of the Year 1619, made 
44 between his Majefty and the Lords the States, between 
44 the two Eaft-India Companies. 
44 That I might the better inform myfelf thereof, I 
44 took in Hand, and perufed the general Treaty of 
44 1619, with the Explication following thereupon; 
44 but I profefs, as I think, that every underftanding 
44 Man muft confefs, that neither in the faid Treaty, nor 
44 in the Enlargement, any one Article or Word could 
44 be perceived ; whereby, according to that which is 
** untruly faid in England, either this, or any fuch thing, 
44 is ordained or decided by the faid Treaty, as it ought 
44 to have been in fo great and important a oint as this 
44 Part of Jurifdidlion is, I appeal to all wife Men, who 
44 I defire may judge of this, whether this Speech of 
44 fome in England, to wit, that the faid Council of De- 
44 fei^ce fhould alone have judged thefe Confpirators, be 
44 agreeable to the faid Treaty, or contrary to the fame. 
44 I find many Arguments for my negative Opinions, to 
44 wit, that before the Treaty of 1619, the Butch in 
44 Amboyna adminiftered Jurifdi&ion and Judicature up- 
44 on all, and every one, who dwelt in, or under the Ju- 
44 rifdidtion of the Caftle, as well Inhabitants as Stran- 
44 gers, without Difference ; and that in the faid Treaty, 
44 the 
